


like you never lost a war

by CallicoKitten



Category: American Gods (TV), Preacher (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Drabble, Gen, Slice of Life, there's no way in hell these shows dont take place in the same universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 19:07:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11857809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallicoKitten/pseuds/CallicoKitten
Summary: Tulip meets her when they’re on their way out of Annville, pulled over in some shitty road-side dinner because Cas won’t quit whining about being hungry or thirsty or some shit and Jesse, in a good mood, obliges.They order and leave Tulip to wait in the shitty little booth while they disappear off to do whatever and that’s when the girl appears, slides casual as you like into Tulip’s booth with long dark hair and fuck-you eyes and the stench of death clinging to her and says, “You mind? I’m just picking up. Every else is full.”





	like you never lost a war

**Author's Note:**

> there's a world somewhere out there where i wrote a long and rambling roadtrip fic about laura and tulip post-everything steadfastly ignoring their feelings for each other. this is not that world instead i wrote this and left it to fester on my desktop for a bit in case i got inspired again but i didn't so here it is.
> 
> title from crying lightning by the arctic monkeys

Tulip meets her when they’re on their way out of Annville, pulled over in some shitty road-side dinner because Cas won’t quit whining about being hungry or thirsty or some shit and Jesse, in a good mood, obliges.

They order and leave Tulip to wait in the shitty little booth while they disappear off to do whatever and that’s when the girl appears, slides casual as you like into Tulip’s booth with long dark hair and fuck-you eyes and the stench of death clinging to her and says, “You mind? I’m just picking up. Every else is full.”

And yeah, actually Tulip does mind but the girl’s expression suggests that she doesn’t give a good goddamn whether Tulip minds or not. The girl pulls out a carton of cigarettes and taps one out to light up.

“I don’t mind if you’re in the sharing mood,” Tulip says and the girl rolls her eyes before handing one over. Tulip wrinkles her nose when she leans into the lighter the girl offers and the girl laughs.

“What? Not a fan of my perfume?”

Tulip sits back, says, “It ain’t exactly to my liking.” And the girl grins, all smug and self-assured.

“Would you believe it’s all natural?” With her freehand she pats her gut. “They might have scooped out all the things that make me go and shot me through with embalming fluid but there’s still plenty left to rot.”

She’s angling for the table, Tulip thinks, making up some bullshit story to creep Tulip out and send her running. Even if she’s not, between vampires and angels and Jesse’s creep-ass powers, zombies don’t seem all that much of stretch. So, instead of making some polite excuse and leaving like the woman clearly wants her too, Tulip takes a drag and shakes her head.

“That sucks. ‘S why I’ve always been angling for cremation myself.”

The girl’s eyebrows knit together for a moment, probably not what she was expecting and she’s quiet for a long considering moment before she shakes her head. “Nope. I think what I’ve got would still have taken. Only I’d be a shambling pile of ash instead.”

Tulip nods, “That’d be awful inconvenient.”

The girl hums in agreement and turns her head to gaze thoughtfully out at the parking lot. Tulip follows her gaze. It lands on a bright New York City cab out by the road, two guys standing by it, arguing.

“That your ride?” Tulip asks, as the shorter of the two men shakes his head and slides back into the car. The taller one throws his hands up and stalks off.

“For now.”

The girl’s gaze follows the taller man.

“That your boyfriend?”

She snorts inelegantly. “ _No._ That’s the pain in my ass.”

Tulip smiles, thinking of Cassidy. “Yeah, I got one of those too.”

The girl looks back at her, seems to take it as some sort of challenge because she says, “Mines a leprechaun.”

“Mines a vampire,” Tulip bites back and the girl raises her eyebrows. Before she can say something more though, a smiling waitress bustles over to freshen up Tulip’s coffee mug and assure her her food is one it’s way. She turns to the girl when Tulip thanks her, “Nothing for you, sweetheart?”

The girl plasters on the fakest smile Tulip’s ever seen in her life and shakes her head. “Just waiting for my order,” she says, all faux-sweetness. Her smile vanishes as soon the waitress turns away and she shakes her head, “ _Sweetheart,_ ” she repeats.

Tulip frowns, “She was just being polite, is all.”

“Uh-huh,” the girl says, seemingly unconvinced then, “Is your friend really a vampire?”

“You really dead?” Tulip returns.

The girl smiles, “I could give you directions to my grave.”

“How would I know it was yours?”

“You wouldn’t. You’d just have to trust me.”

“And why would I do that?”

The girl shrugs, “You asked. What’s your name?”

Tulip frowns. “Tulip.”

The girl snorts, “That’s a stripper name.”

Tulip’s opening her mouth to take the girl down a few pegs when Cassidy and Jesse come back, wander in shoulder to shoulder, Cass grinning, Jesse quieter, steadier. “Christ,” Cass remarks. “Smells like something died in here, doesn’t it? Almost enough to put you off your dinner, don’t know how you stand it, Tulip. Oh, who’s your friend?”

“Laura,” the girl answers, fake smile firmly back in place.

“She’s dead,” Tulip explains. “And her friend is a leprechaun.”

Cassidy nods slowly. “Oh,” he says. “Right then. Knew a few leprechauns in my time, right pricks the lot of them.”

And the girl – Laura – smiles. “Sounds about right.”

There’s a call from the counter then, _pick up for Laura Moon_ and Tulip shakes her head, “That’s _not_ a stripper name?”

Laura smiles, “It’s better than Tulip.”

“Not by much.”

Laura stands, slides out of their booth. “Last chance if you wanna visit my grave,” she offers.

Tulip smiles. “I’m fine, thanks.”

Laura nods, “Alright. See you around then, Tulip.”

Tulip watches her cross to the counter, smile pretty for the guy behind the counter and carry her food out to the cab. Once she’s gone, Jesse slides in to the booth beside Tulip. “Do I want to know?” he asks and Tulip shrugs.

Ain’t much to know either way, she figures.


End file.
